If you’ve never heard this one before, he might strike you as an invented two-syllable twist on Finn.  Not so.

Thanks to Bevan for suggesting the storied Fintan as Name of the Day.

Finnegan, Phinnaeus, Finbar, Finley, Griffin … There are plenty of ways to get to the nickname Finn, and he stands nicely on his own, too.  But Fintan isn’t merely a formal choice for the birth certificate.  He’s a separate name with a story of his own.  

The more traditional spelling would be Fionntán and is found in Irish myth.  Their version of the Biblical Noah’s Ark has a second chapter.  Fintan mac Bóchra was part of a group who arrived in Ireland before the flooding began.  Noah’s granddaughter, Cessair, was among them.  Despite their travels, Cessair and company would perish in the deluge.  Fintan, however, turned into a salmon and lived – in fact, he’d eventually return to human form and live for more than 5,000 years – long enough to serve as an advisor to Finn McCool.  

If myth doesn’t move you, there are two Saints Fintan:

• Leinster-born Saint Fintan died in 603, after having spent some years as a hermit;
• A second Saint Fintan founded an abbey in County Wexford, before dying in 635.  A well in Limerick is named after him and attributed with all sorts of mystical powers.

The name was much less common in recent centuries, though there was James Fintan Lalor, an Irish revolutionary, and Fintan Mundwiler, a nineteenth century abbot of St. Meinrad’s Abbey in Indiana.

Like Finn and many Fin- names, Fintan’s first part – fionn – derives from the Gaelic word for “white.”  The second half could mean fire, could mean bull, could refer to hair color, could even mean wise.  Fire is the most commonly cited, and it’s an intriguing image.

While his exact meaning is open to debate, there’s little doubt about his style – he’s as Irish as a shamrock.  He’d fit right in with Ryan and Aidan and Riley, but his sound is distinct enough to stand out, too.  The name has never ranked in the US Top 1000.

Fintan’s only shortcoming – and this could prove to be a biggie – is the rise of Finn names.  Since 2000, there have been:

• Nearly 13,000 new baby Griffins;
• Almost 4,000 Finns;
• 1,200 Finnegans;
• And more than 1,300 female Finleys.

The name cluster is on the upswing.  After all, Julia Roberts christened her firstborn son Phinnaeus “Finn” late in 2004.  And television’s Glee has just given singing quarterback Finn a few months ago.  Little wonder that Finn leapt from #833 in 2000 to #368 last year.  He also steadily ranks among the top search name for boys on this site.

Yet Fintan’s sound remains distinctive, and unlike Finley/Finlay, unlikely to be borrowed by the girls.

So if you’re seeking a choice that is saintly, obscure and impeccably Irish, Fintan is one to consider.